Data processor with up pointer walk trie traversal instruction set extension

ABSTRACT

A programmable data communications device is provided to process multiple streams of data according to multiple protocols. The device is equipped with a co-processor including multiple, programmable processors allowing data to be operated on by multiple protocols. The programmable processors within the co-processor include extended instruction sets including instructions providing the operations of zero stuffing, CRC computation, partial compare, conditional move, and trie traversal. These instructions allow the processor(s) of the co-processor to more efficiently execute programs implementing data communications protocols. Since each processor is programmable, protocols standards which change may be accommodated. A network device equipped with the co-processor can handle multiple simultaneous streams of data and can implement multiple protocols on each data stream. The protocols can execute within the co-processor either independently of each other, or in conjunction with each other.

RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/132,621filed Aug. 11, 1998, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/089,248, filed Jun. 15, 1998, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to data communications devices and morespecifically to network devices which implement protocols to operate ondata in a data communications system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In digital communications systems, data is routinely transmitted betweenmany processing devices over a network. For example, in computernetworks such as the Internet, data is typically sent from one computerto another through network communications devices such as modems, hubs,routers, bridges, switches and/or other computers interconnected bytransmission media or data links. The data itself is stored andcommunicated as a series of binary digits (bits) represented by zerosand ones. During data communications, the manner in which the bits ofdata are specifically arranged and the order in which they are exchangedbetween devices is called a protocol. Protocols are usually establishedby industry standards. There are many different types of protocolsserving different purposes, but each typically involves a sending devicethat arranges data in one manner, and a receiving device that detectsthe specific arrangement of the data in order to make use of the dataupon reception.

For example, blocks of data can be reduced in size by compressionprotocols before transmission from a sending computer in order toconserve bandwidth. When privacy is desired, data can be altered byencryption protocols into a state that makes the data unreadable byanyone or any device not authorized to read the data. The data cantravel across the network in an encrypted and compressed state until itreaches its destination. Upon receipt, the receiving computer decrypts(i.e. decodes) and decompresses the data according to these protocolsinto a form useable by an intended application.

In some data communications devices, the main central processing unit(CPU) of the device is responsible for performing protocols on data,such as the compression, decompression and encryption, decryptionprotocols noted above. In this case, the protocols are performedcompletely under software control by a program stored in memory. Inother devices, separate dedicated hardware processors are provided toperform individual protocols. In hardware implementations, the CPU ofthe device merely schedules the flow of data through the device, and atthe appropriate time, instructs each separate dedicated processor toperform a single respective protocol for which that dedicated processoris designed.

For instance, in a modem, as data is received from the sendingapplication it is buffered in memory before transmission onto a computernetwork. The CPU in the modem assembles the data into a packet, and thencompresses that packet of data. After compression, if privacy isdesired, the CPU then encrypts the data packet. When the CPU hascompleted its task, the packet is processed further and transmitted fromthe modem.

An example of one type of compression/decompression protocol is calledV.42bis. To compress data, V.42bis creates a dictionary of commonlyoccurring strings of bits in data. For a string that commonly occurs,the dictionary specifies a short replacement string which, whentransmitted, takes up less space, and therefore saves network bandwidth.Compressed data according to V.42bis is stored in a data structurecalled a "trie". Tries are a species of multi-way search trees, designedto represent sets of character strings. To decompress data stored in atrie, a complex series of trie traversals are required to reconstructthe original data. Prior art systems perform these trie traversals ineither software or with a dedicated hardware processor, as explainedabove.

Other protocols exist that are used to format data during datacommunications in order for devices to communicate effectively andefficiently. For instance, during assembly of data packets, signalinginformation must be provided along with the actual message data in thepackets for communications to take place. Various signaling protocolshave been developed to support uniform communication of data packets.

One such widely used protocol is the High Level Data Link Control("HDLC") protocol, as defined in Level 2 of the Open SystemsInterconnection ("OSI") model. HDLC is a bit-oriented protocol forsending packets between devices. HDLC requires the sender to distinguishthe start and end of a packet from the actual data portion of thepacket. To do so, HDLC uses a flag to indicate the start and end ofpackets. The flag consists of a zero bit followed by six one bits andends with a zero bit, and appears as 01111110. In HDLC, a process called"zero stuffing" can be used to distinguish the flag portion of a packetfrom the data portion (which may itself contain an embedded series ofones that could be mistaken for a flag). In zero stuffing, a zero bit"0" is inserted into packet data being transmitted if five continuousone bits "11111" are detected. Thus, zero stuffing converts "11111" into"111110" in the data portion of a packet, in order to distinguish thedata from the beginning and end of the packet. The receiver of the"stuffed" data packet then "unstuffs" the data by removing any zero bitfollowing five continuous one bits (i.e., 111110 becomes 11111).

Other protocols called SLIP ("Serial Line Internet Protocol") and PPP("Point-To-Point") are communications protocols that allow computers tosimulate a direct connection to the Internet. SLIP/PPP uses specialcontrol characters that need to be detected and/or replaced in the datastream. Creation and insertion as well as detection and replacement ofthe control characters in prior art SLIP/PPP protocol systems istypically done with a dedicated hardware circuit processing each packettransmitted and received.

Another process occurring in data communications is called the CyclicRedundancy Check ("CRC"). CRC is the most common method of errordetection for most data communications. A CRC value is computed for apacket, attached to that packet during transmission, and upon receipt ofthat packet the receiver can verify the correctness of the contents ofthe packet by re-calculating the CRC value using the packet data andcomparing the result to the attached CRC. As with the aforementionedprotocols, prior art CRC computation is performed either in dedicatedhardware circuitry or in software using the CPU of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Currently available data communication devices that implement protocolssuch as compression/decompression, encryption/decryption and so forthsuffer a variety of problems. Software implementations lack executionspeed due to the large number of processing cycles required whenexecuting protocols on the CPU. A CPU executing a program to compressand encrypt data must process data fast enough to fully utilizeavailable data communications bandwidth. Fast processors are expensiveand increase the cost of data communications devices. Softwareimplementations of protocols also require a software engineer to"design" code for the protocol, which can be an error prone task.

For example, current hardware implementations of protocols are veryinflexible. If the protocol changes due to evolving standards, a newchip must be created making old devices obsolete. The inflexibility ofhardware solutions leads to problems when defacto protocol standardsevolve that are inconsistent with a current hardware implementation.Additionally, hardware implementations may restrict future improvementsin devices containing the dedicated processors because the hardwareinflexibility may no longer interface to the changing functionality ofthe device.

The present invention overcomes the problems associated with softwareand hardware protocol implementations in prior art data communicationsdevices. For simplicity herein, a data communications device thatperforms a protocol is called a network device. The present inventionprovides a network device including a unique co-processor having asymmetrical architecture and an extended processor instruction set toprovide instructions allowing protocols to operate more efficiently. Thenetwork device including the co-processor off-loads the complex protocolprocessing tasks from the CPU in the network device.

According to one aspect of the invention, a network device used forprocessing data communications is provided. The network device comprisesat least one input interface receiving data and at least one outputinterface for transmitting data. Since more than one interface may beprovided, the device can handle multiple streams of data. The networkdevice further includes memory for storing data and a system bus coupledto the input interface, the output interface, and the memory. Alsocoupled to the system bus is a central processing unit (CPU) whichcontrols the receipt of data by the input interface and stores the datain memory. The network device also includes a co-processor coupled tothe system bus which has at least one internal programmable processorprogrammed to execute multiple protocols. By executing multipleprotocols in the co-processor, the CPU is free to perform other networkdevice tasks, such as routing, for example.

In the network device, the coprocessor handles retrieving the data fromthe memory upon an indication from the central processing unit. Then theco-processor performs each of the multiple protocols on the data forwhich the co-processor is programmed. Finally, the co-processor returnsthe data to the memory for transmission from the output interface of thenetwork device. In this manner, the co-processor can be programmed toperform many protocols on the same data within the co-processor. Thisreduces the amount of transfers of the data between the main memory andCPU of the network device.

By off-loading protocol operation to the co-processor in the networkdevice, faster data throughput rates may be achieved. One reason forthis is that the co-processor can be programmed. Programmability allowsthe co-processor to perform multiple protocols at once, eitherindependently of each other, or in conjunction with each other. Sinceonly one programmed co-processor can implement multiple protocols, thesystem bus and CPU of the network device are free from much of theassociated protocol processing.

According to another aspect of the invention, a programmablemultiple-protocol co-processor apparatus for use in a datacommunications device is provided. Such a co-processor embodiment may bean ASIC, for example, which resides on the system bus of the networkdevice embodiment noted above.

According to this embodiment of the invention, the co-processor includesat least one programmable processor and at least one memory systemcoupled to the programmable processor. An interface is coupled to thememory system and to the programmable processor. The interface canaccept at least one protocol program downloaded into the memory systemfrom a host computer processor. The host computer can be, for example,the network device noted above. The programmable processor executes theprotocol program that is downloaded. If there is more than one processorexecuting more than one protocol program, the co-processor can executemultiple protocols. Alternatively, if one processor exists and issupplied with multiple protocol programs, the co-processor can alsoexecute multiple protocols. The programmable aspect of the co-processorsallows it to change according to changing protocols by beingre-programmed.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a multi-processorembodiment of the co-processor which can quickly process data accordingto the program(s) which were downloaded. According to this embodiment,first and second programmable processors are coupled to respective firstand second local memory systems. A bus system is coupled to the firstand second programmable processors and the first and second local memorysystems. The bus system has an interface capable of being connected to ahost system for transferring data between the host system and the firstand second programmable processors and the first and second local memorysystems.

Since the co-processor is programmable and has at least one internalprogrammable processor, it can implement a variety of differentalgorithms simultaneously on many streams of data passing through thenetwork device. The programmable nature of the co-processor also allowsprotocols to be easily changed by being reprogrammed if protocolstandards evolve. Programmability of dual processors in the co-processoralso allows flexibility in intended operation. The co-processor can thusimplement multiple protocols independently of each other, or inconjunction with each other.

Specifically, according to other embodiments of the invention, the firstand second programmable processors are each programmed to execute atleast one protocol. Examples of protocols which may be executed areencryption, decryption, compression, decompression, HDLC framing,point-to-point protocol, serial line interface protocol, MNP5-Microcomnetwork protocol, V.42bis. Other known data communications protocols maybe programmed and implemented by the processors as needed.

The co-processor embodiments noted above rely on at least one processorto perform execution of each protocol program. That is, the co-processorcontains separate individual processors therein, aside from its memoryand interface systems.

These first and second programmable processors each include an extendedinstruction set allowing the processors to be programmed withinstructions to concurrently execute multiple protocols independent ofeach other and allowing the processors to be programmed withinstructions to concurrently execute multiple protocols in conjunctionwith each other.

According to another aspect of this invention, each processor circuitwhich serves as the first and second processor in the co-processor isitself novel. As such, the invention provides embodiments directed to aprocessor including an input interface for loading communicationsprograms and communications data as well as a first unit includingprocessor instruction logic circuits for executing first portions of thecommunications programs. The first unit generally corresponds to a setof instructions provided with the processor from the manufacturer of theprocessor.

The invention however extends this instruction set and provides, in theprocessor, a second unit including extension processor instruction logiccircuits for executing second portions of the communications programsand for processing at least one portion of the communications data. Thesecond unit corresponds to an extension arithmetic logic unit (XALU)created according to this invention. The second portions of thecommunication programs are the extension ALU instructions which can,according to this invention, operate on the data passing through theprocessor. The processor also includes an output interface for storingresults of the processing. The extension instructions are provided inaddition to an existing core instruction set in each processor withinthe co-processor.

According to other embodiments of this invention, the extensioninstructions provide various operations. More specifically, according tothis invention, a zero stuffing instruction logic circuit includes aninput logic device which accepts an input bit stream. A detecting logicdevice detects a predetermined sequence of bits. An insertion logicdevice inserts a modifier into the input bit stream thus creating amodified bit stream and an overflow bit stream. Finally, an output logicdevice stores the modified bit stream in a predefined location andstores the overflow bit stream in a second predefined location andmaintains overflow state information. By providing this circuitry, theinvention offers a zero stuffing instruction for a microprocessor, suchas a RISC microprocessor.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a zero unstuffinginstruction logic circuit is provided and includes an input logic devicewhich accepts an input bit stream and a detecting logic device whichdetects a first predetermined sequence of bits. A removal logic deviceis included which removes a second predetermined sequence from the inputbit stream creating a modified bit stream. An output logic device isincluded which stores the modified bit stream in a predefined locationand maintains borrow state and error state information. By providingthis circuitry, the invention provides a zero unstuffing operation inthe form of a single microprocessor instruction.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a partial subtraction andconditional move instruction logic circuit, for use in rightward trietraversal, is provided. The circuit including an input logic devicewhich accepts a first input data, a second input data and a third inputdata. A comparing logic device is included which performs a comparisonbetween the first input data and the third input data. If the comparisonresults in the first input data being equal to the third input data thena down traversal state is set, and if the comparison results in thefirst input data being greater than the third input data then the secondinput data is copied into a predefined location and no state is set. Ifthe comparison results in the first input data being less than the thirdinput data then an insertion state is set and the first input data isinserted into a trie data structure. An output logic device stores thethird input state in a predefined location and stores the first inputdata into the trie data structure and maintains the down traversal stateand the insertion state information.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a partial compare andconditional move instruction logic circuit, for upward trie traversal,is provided. The circuit includes an input logic device which accepts afirst input data and a second input data. Also included is a comparinglogic device which performs a comparison between the first input dataand the second input data. If the comparison results in the first inputdata being equal to the second data then a terminate traversal state isset. If the comparison results in the first input data being not equalto the second data then the first input data is copied to a predefinedlocation and no state is set. An output logic device stores the firstinput state in a predefined location and maintains the terminatetraversal state information.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a multiple compareinstruction logic circuit is provided including an input logic devicewhich accepts a first input data, a second input data and a third inputdata. A comparing logic device performs a comparison between the firstinput data and a series of predefined characters in the third inputdata. If the comparison results in the first input data being equal toany character in the series of predefined characters then a charactermatch state is set. A comparing logic device performs a comparisonbetween the first input data and a predefined boundary. If the firstinput data is within the predefined boundary then a character boundarystate is set. An output logic device maintains the character match stateand the character boundary state information.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a CRC instruction logiccircuit is provided including an input logic device which accepts afirst input data, a second input data and a third input data. Acalculating logic device which computes a CRC value based upon thepolynomial defined in the first input data, the current state of the CRCcalculation stored in the second input data and a third input datacontaining a portion of a message upon which to calculate a CRC. Anoutput logic device which stores the CRC value in a predefined location.

Having these operations available as instructions which may be called byprograms that implement the various protocols is beneficial for manyreasons. Since the actual operations of each instruction are notperformed purely in software, but rather as circuitry which carries outthe instruction when called, higher co-processor operation speedsresult. Also, since the instruction circuitry is activated by callingthe instruction, the program can control when the circuitry is used,thus avoiding unnecessary operation of the circuitry as in prior arthardware only implementations. That is, extension instructions offeringthe aforementioned functions only activate their associated circuitrywhen called. This allows the processors to concentrate on programexecution and conserves processor cycles.

The present invention utilizes the extensible instruction set feature ofa programmable processor to implement time consuming data communicationstechniques as the aforementioned instruction circuits in hardware. Theseinstructions overcome the aforementioned prior art problems of softwareand hardware solutions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tothe same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a data communications deviceconfigured according to this invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of aco-processor device configured according to one embodiment of thisinvention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of aprogrammable instruction set processor as used within the co-processoraccording to this invention.

FIG. 4 is a representation of the Status Register.

FIG. 5 is a representation of the Zero Stuff Overflow AccumulationRegister (ZSE).

FIG. 6 is a representation of the Zero Stuff Overflow Data Register(ZSread).

FIG. 7 is a representation of the Zero Stuff State Register (ZSS).

FIG. 8 is a representation of the PPP Character Control Register.

FIG. 9 is a representation of the CRC Polynomial Register.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the inputs, outputs and processing ofthe zero stuff instruction.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the inputs, outputs and processing ofthe zero unstuff instruction Diagram.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the inputs, outputs and processing ofthe partial subtraction and conditional move instruction Diagram.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the inputs, outputs and processing ofthe partial compare and conditional move instruction Diagram.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the inputs, outputs and processing ofthe multiple compare instruction Diagram.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the inputs, outputs and processing ofthe CRC instruction Diagram.

FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of the processing performed by aprocessor in the co-processor configured according to this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a network device 104 configured according to thepresent invention. Network device 104 includes a system bus 103 whichintercouples interfaces 105 and 106, central processing unit (CPU) 101,memory system 102 and co-processor 100. Network device 104 may be, forexample, a modem, gateway, proxy server, router, switch, hub, bridge orother network data communications device through which data maytypically pass. Network device 104 provides the data communicationscapabilities needed to transmit data between host computer 107 and otherhosts (not shown) on network 108. Network 108 may be, for example, aWide Area Network (WAN) such as the Internet, or may be a Local AreaNetwork (LAN) such as a corporate intranet. According to the invention,network device uses co-processor 100 to handle protocol operations onthe data, instead of providing such operations in software on the CPU101 or in hardware as individual separate processors, as in prior artsystems.

As an example, CPU 101 in network device 104 operating on data accordingto this invention can configure interface 105 to accept data 109 fromhost computer 107 that is to be transmitted onto computer network 108.The data 109 is received and transferred into memory 102 over system bus103. Before transmission of the data 109 to network 108, the CPU 101instructs co-processor 100, to concurrently encrypt and compress andpacketize the data 109. Once the data 109 is compressed and encrypted inpacket format, co-processor 100 notifies CPU 101 of this event. The data109 is then transmitted via interface 106 onto network 108 under thecontrol of the CPU 101. In a similar manner, data 109 destined for host107 is received at interface 106 from network 108 in packet form. Thepackets are buffered in memory 102. The data 109 is encrypted andcompressed in packet form when it arrives at network device 104. CPU 101instructs co-processor 100 to concurrently de-packetize, decompress anddecrypt packets 109. When this process is complete, the CPU 101 isnotified and transfers the data 109 to host 107 via interface 105.

Co-processor 100 concurrently performs protocols such as, for example,encryption and decryption, compression and decompression, and packetframing and de-framing protocols noted in the example above.Co-processor 100 can perform these protocols on multiple simultaneousstreams of data. The co-processor 100 includes multiple programmableinternal central processing unit circuits (internal programmableprocessors) as well as other circuitry. The preferred embodiment ofco-processor 100 embodies these circuits as an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC) residing on a single chip. The co-processor100 can implement protocols on data 109 in both the sending (i.e., host107 to network 108) and receiving (network 108 to host 107) directions.

Generally speaking, the co-processor 100 is responsible for off-loadingcomplicated data communication protocol processing and memory bandwidthintensive operations from the CPU 101. Co-processor 100 can beprogrammed to execute many different protocols concurrently andindependently of each other, or in conjunction with each other.

The various protocols are performed by programming the co-processor 100with operations to carry out the tasks associated with each specificprotocol. Since the co-processor 100 is the only device on system bus103 responsible for the operation of these protocols, less transactionswith memory 102 are required. Prior art systems require the CPU 101 toprocess all protocols tasks in a slow manner via software, or provideseparate processors for each protocol resulting in severe bandwidthlimitations of system bus 103. Through the use of a single co-processor100, the overall bandwidth and data throughput of network device 104 isincreased by this invention. The complete operation of co-processor 100will be discussed after an introduction to its architecture, which willbe presented next.

FIG. 2 illustrates the architecture of co-processor 100 configuredaccording to this invention. Co-processor 100 is symmetrical in nature.That is, many individual components of the co-processor 100 haveequivalent counterparts which can operate independently of each other orin conjunction with each other. In FIG. 2, the symmetrical nature ofco-processor 100 is illustrated by similarly configured upper and lowerhalves. Generally, the preferred embodiment of co-processor 100 has twosymmetrical systems; a dual processing system, and a dual memory system,as well as one shared interface system. As such, co-processor 100comprises two entirely functional processing engines having distinctprogrammable processors, memories, and bus systems which can functionseparately or in conjunction with each other. Furthermore, adding anadditional number of processing engines (processor, memory and bussystem) is contemplated to enhance overall processing speed providedsymmetry is maintained.

In the present embodiment, the dual processing system includes first andsecond extended internal programmable processors 110 and 210. Processors110 and 210 are preferably similar in configuration to one another, butthe invention is not meant to be limited as such. In the preferredembodiment, each internal programmable processor 110, 210 is an extendedArgonaut 32-bit RISC (ARC) processor having a 4-stage pipeline.

ARC processors 110 and 210 in this embodiment are produced by and may bepurchased from Argonaut Technologies Ltd., United Kingdom. ARCProcessors 110 and 210 each incorporate a full 32-bit core instructionset, as well as 32-bit data and addressing modes and operate at 100 MHZ.Since a core instruction set is provided, programs may be written whichimplement the various aforementioned protocols. However, according toone aspect of this invention, to allow these protocols to executefaster, ARC processors 110, 210 are extended with additionalinstructions, as will be explained in detail later. Depending upon thepurpose of network device 104, the appropriate programs providing therequired algorithms are downloaded (i.e. programmed) into program memory122 (discussed shortly) before data processing begins.

Each processor 110 and 210 may be programmed independently of the other.For example, processor 110 can be configured to perform a distinctfunction such as data encryption, while processor 210 can be programmedto perform data compression. These protocols may be performed ondifferent data, or on the same data. The protocols may be executed inparallel, with each processor 110, 210 concurrently performing itsrespective task, or the protocols may be executed in series, with oneprocessor (i.e. 110) processing data after the other (i.e. 210) hascompleted its processing on that same data.

An important aspect of this invention is included within processors 110and 210. According to this aspect, each processor 110 and 210 isextended with additional instructions which help optimize the executionof the various protocols programmed into processors 110 and 210. Toextend each processor 110 and 210, VHDL code representing the corecircuitry and instruction set of each ARC processors is modified withadditional extension instructions. That is, interfaces in the VHDL logiccode which describe the actual processor circuits 110 and 210 are usedto create extension instructions that provide enhanced processorfeatures according to embodiments of this invention. These extensioninstructions are provided in addition to a set of core instructionsalready provided in the VHDL code representation of processors 110 and210.

The various extension instructions of this invention perform protocoltasks such as bit-stuffing, CRC computations, multiple compares, andtrie traversals on specified portions of data. By implementing theseoperations as actual instructions in processors 110 and 210,co-processor 100 can process data according to the requirements ofvarious data communications protocols at very high speeds. The extensioninstructions alleviate the need for a programmer to develop an algorithmto implement the processing provided by the instructions. This savesprogram development time and avoids algorithm coding errors. Moreover,the extension instructions are implemented as underlying circuitry andtherefore perform the desired operation faster than a pure softwaresolution to the same operation. The extension instructions are also moreefficient than a pure hardware solution to the operation beingperformed, since the instructions are called only when needed. Prior arthardware-only solutions continuously perform a specific operation andthen additional software is used to retrieve the ever-present resultfrom a standardized location. Since the extension instructions of thisinvention may be called only when needed, processor cycles areconserved.

Another aspect of the invention is the dual memory systems ofco-processor 100. The dual memory systems allow data to be quicklyaccessible to co-processor 100, without having to rely on memory 102 ofnetwork device 104. Each memory system comprises memory controllers 120,220, local DRAM arbiters 130, 230, local DRAM interfaces 140, 240,memory interfaces 155, 255, external co-processor memories 111, 113(FIG. 1), and Direct Memory Access (DMA) controllers 150, 250,respectively.

Co-processor memories 111 and 113 are high speed random access memorieswhich can support 50 nanosecond random access times in a 32 bit addressmode, and 20 nanosecond access times in a 32 bit bursting access pagemode. In this particular embodiment, co-processor memories 111 and 113are not part of the co-processor ASIC. Rather, local DRAM interfaces140, 240 couple to respective memory interfaces 155, 255 to provideaccess to co-processor memories 111 and 113. Co-processor memories 111and 113 are used during protocol processing for such tasks as storingdata to be compressed/decompressed or encrypted/decrypted. Co-processormemories 111 and 113 can also store dictionaries used for compressionalgorithms such as V.42bis.

Two DMA controllers 150, 250 are provided in co-processor 100, one foreach processor 110, 210. Each DMA controller 150, 250 interfaces to arespective memory controllers 120, 220, local DRAM arbiters 130, 230,SDRAM bus master 180 and Host Interface 181. Memory busses 151, 251provide the interfaces between these components. Each DMA controller150, 250 can be configured by a respective processor 110, 210 to moveblocks of data to and from external memory 102 to a respectiveco-processor memory 111, 113. Each processor 110, 210 provides to arespective DMA controller 150, 250 a source address, a destinationaddress, and word count to transfer data to and from the availablememory spaces on co-processor 100. Embedded in each DMA controller aretwo 32 by 32 bit FIFO buffers 152, 252 which are used to buffer databeing exchanged.

Two shared memories 170 and 171 within co-processor 100 allow eachinternal programmable processor 110, 210 to exchange messaging and/ordata. Communications between processors 110 and 210 may be needed in acase where both processors 110 and 120 are programmed to performprotocols such as compression and then encryption in conjunction witheach other.

Other components in each memory system include synchronous SRAM's 160,165 and 260, 265. These SRAM's provide one-way memory paths between theCPU 101 and the respective processor 110, 210, and vice versa. Thepurpose and use of the SRAM's 160, 165 and 260, 265 is under softwarecontrol on a per protocol basis. SRAM memories 160 and 260 may bewritten to by the CPU 101 of network device 104 and may be read byinternal processors 110 and 210, respectively. SRAM memories 165 and 265may be written to respectively by internal processors 110 and 210 andmay be read by the CPU 101 of the network device 104.

The third system in co-processor 100 is the interface system. Theinterface system includes signal lines 190 through 193 whichinterconnect co-processor 100 to the system bus 103 (FIG. 1) of networkdevice 104. The signal lines 190 through 193 allow the co-processor 100to be programmed and controlled by CPU 101. Signal lines 190 couple toan SDRAM bus master 180 which is used to take control of the system bus103 to move data between memory 102, DMA controllers 150, 250 and eachmemory controller 120, 220. The SDRAM bus master 180 transfers the dataon memory bus 189.

Signal lines 191 couple to host processor interface 181 which is a32-bit wide synchronous, ready-controlled bus interface. Host processorinterface 181 is used to program each internal programmable processor110, 120 under the direction of CPU 101. The programming takes placeover programming bus 191. The host processor interface 181 also handlesthe generation of interrupts to the CPU 101 during operation ofco-processor 100.

Signal lines 192 are used for testing co-processor 100 and interface totest circuit 182. Signal lines 193 interface system bus 103 to clock andreset circuitry 183. Clock and reset circuitry 183 provides clock andreset signals to the various components of co-processor 100. Reset isused to reset and program the co-processor 100 via signaling from CPU101.

The operation of network device 104 configured with co-processor 100will now be given in conjunction with the processing steps given in FIG.16. Processing steps 701 through 711 illustrate processing of data on apacket by packet basis as performed by co-processor 100 according tothis invention. Upon power-up of network device 104 co-processor 100 isin a reset state which may be removed by application of a reset signalvia signal lines 193 (Step 701) from CPU 101. Once reset is applied,processors 110 and 210 in co-processor 100 remain in a reset (e.g. idle)state until activated by CPU 101.

Before network device 104 begins to accept and process network data 109,each processor 110, 210 in co-processor 100 must be programmed foroperation (Step 702). Programs for each processor 110, 210 aredownloaded into SRAM program memory 122 via the host processor interface181 prior to the release of the reset state. Host processor interface181 is a slave-only interface which present a memory map to CPU 101which determines where each program is loaded.

Each processor 110 and 210 may be programmed with identical or differingprograms. Typically, in operation, one processor (e.g. 110) will processtransmit data and the other processor will process receive data.Programs tailored to each specific task will be loaded into respectiveprocessor program spaces 122, 222. Once each processor 110, 210 has anassociated protocol program loaded into its respective program memoryspace 122, 222, the reset state can be removed by CPU 101 (Step 703)thus starting execution of each program. The remaining description ofprocessing is given with respect to processor 110 and its associatedco-processor components (i.e., the upper half of FIG. 2). However, sinceco-processor 100 is symmetrical in nature, it should be understood thatthe same description of operation applies to processor 210 and itsassociated components.

As network device 104 begins to process data (e.g., packets) 109 betweennetwork 108 and host computer 107, memory 102 buffers each data packet109. A descriptor table (not shown) lists each of the data packets 109stored in memory 102. The descriptor table indicates which packets needto be processed, and which have already been processed by the protocolsin co-processor 100. The CPU 101 maintains the list of packets in thedescriptor table which have yet to be processed, and co-processor 100maintains the list of packets which have been processed by the protocolprograms.

To process a packet, one of the processors (assume processor 110 forthis example) reads the descriptor table in memory 102 and obtainspacket information (i.e., how many packets available, packet size,location address, etc.) needed to configure a DMA transfer (Step 704) tocopy one or more data packets 109 into data SRAM 126.

The DMA controller 152 associated with processor 110 interfaces to theSDRAM bus master 180 and to the memory controller 120. The DMAcontroller 152 can transfer data to or from memories 122, 124, 126,co-processor memory 111 and network device memory 102. Once configured(Step 704), processor 110 acquires the system bus 103 of network device104 (Step 705) by making a bus request. In this description, the systembus may be a memory bus of network device 104. Assume for this examplethat processor 110 requests system bus 103.

Next, DMA controller 152 requests access to memory 102 and transfers(Step 706) the requested data packets 109 to the internal data SRAM 126,or to co-processor memory 111, depending upon the type of transferrequested, and how much data is being transferred. These parameters aredependent on the particular protocol program being executed. Typically,data packets 109 will be transferred to the data SRAM 126.

DMA transfers operate without intervention on the part of processor 110.This allows simultaneous transfer and processing of separate datapackets 109. In a preferred embodiment, the data SRAM 126 in memorycontroller 120 (and 220) is partitioned into three sections; one sectioncontains one packet of data which has been processed and is beingtransferred from co-processor 100, one section contains one packetcurrently being processed by the programmed processor 110, and onesection contains one packet currently being transferred intoco-processor 100 to be processed next. Each section of SRAM 126 may beaccessed concurrently by the DMA controller 152 and/or processor 110.This avoids access collisions from the processor 110 and the DMAcontroller 152. Accordingly, step 706 indicates that as a DMA transferis transferring a packet into data SRAM 126, another concurrent DMAtransfer is transferring a formerly processed packet out of co-processor100 to memory 102.

Once the DMA transfer (Step 706) is complete, the system bus 103 isreleased in step 707.

The processor 110 processes the data packet (Step 708) stored in theappropriate section of data SRAM 126 according to the program which isexecuting. To process a packet, the processor 110 applies one or moreprotocols or algorithms to the packet, for which that processor isprogrammed. For example, if processor 110 is programmed for V.42biscompression, the data packet is compressed accordingly. V.42biscompression requires construction of a dictionary to perform thecompression and decompression. This dictionary is stored in co-processormemory 111. Since co-processor 100 may operate on many streams of datapackets 109 concurrently, co-processor memory 111 may store separatedictionaries for each data stream simultaneously.

Access to co-processor memory 111 by processor 110 is handled by thelocal DRAM arbiter 130. DRAM Arbiter 130 manages requests for transfersto and from co-processor memory 111 such that the aggregate bandwidth ofdata transfers is maximized. Memory bandwidth optimization is discussedin detail in the Local DRAM arbiter description section of theprovisional patent application previously incorporated by reference.

Once a data packet 109 has been processed by the protocol program,processor 110 configures a new DMA transfer (Step 709) and againacquires the bus (Step 710). The data is transferred out to (Step 711)as a processed data packet 109 back to memory 102 for further processingby CPU 101. At the completion of the DMA transfer (Step 711), the bus isreleased (Step 712) and the DMA controller 152 will interrupt theprocessor 110 (Step 713) via host processor interface 181 to signal thecompleted transfer and processing of the data packet 109. The processor110 then updates the descriptor table (Step 714) in memory 102 toindicate that that particular data packet 109 has been processed.

The procedure described above of transferring data into co-processor100, processing the data, and transferring the data out of co-processor100 (i.e. Steps 704 through 714 in FIG. 16) is repeated for all datapackets passing through network device 104, under the direction of CPU101. It is to be understood that while the procedure above was explainedin relation to processor 110, processor 210 and its associatedcomponents perform the same or a similar procedure on data.

Though preferred embodiments of the invention provide the ability toprogram co-processor 100 to perform encryption/decryption andcompression/decompression of data, the co-processor of the presentinvention is not limited to these protocols alone. Rather, protocolssuch as HDLC packet framing, bit-stuffing, CRC computations, the SerialLine Interface Protocol (SLIP), the Point-to-Point protocol, V.42bis,LZS-Lempel Ziv compression and other protocol operations may beperformed by a network device 104 equipped with the co-processor 100.

Preferred embodiments of the invention include the co-processor 100programmed for data communications related protocols, but the inventionis not limited as such. That is, other protocols, such as image orsignal processing protocols may be programmed into co-processor 100,with the result being that the co-processor 100 can execute theseprotocols simultaneously on processors 110, 210 either in conjunctionwith each other, or independent of each other. In these alternativeembodiments, the co-processor is used in a device other than a networkdevice. A device such as a signal processing device can be equipped witha co-processor according to this invention. Overall execution speed in adevice using co-processor 100 is increased because the data need not beprocessed by the host computer's CPU. Furthermore, speed increases arerealized because data to be processed remains within co-processor 100for multiple protocol operations, without being passed from dedicatedprocessor to dedicated processor for each protocol operation, as inprior art systems.

The dual processing nature of co-processor 100 is an important aspect ofthe invention. That is, each processor 110, 210 can be programmedaccording to the steps in FIG. 17. Since each processor 110, 210 isprovided with shared memory allowing communications to take placebetween one another, if the programs of each processor 110, 210 providefor the appropriate cooperation with each other, they can share data.This allows protocols on one processor to complete and pass data toprotocols on the other processor for further processing.

As an example, if processor 110 is programmed for encryption, when ithas finished completing its encryption process (i.e., Step 707),processor 110 places the data in shared memory 171 (FIG. 2) instead ofconfiguring and performing a DMA transfer (Steps 708, 709). Processor110 then sends an indication to processor 210 that it has completed itsencryption process on the data. If a compression program is executing onprocessor 210, it reads the data in memory 171 and performs itscompression process. The foregoing is an example of multiple protocolsoperating in conjunction with each other on co-processor 100.

Those skilled in the art will now readily understand that manyvariations on the former example are possible. For instance, processor110 may perform decompression on a stream of data, after which processor210 performs decryption on the decompressed stream of data. By allowingmultiple processors to operate in conjunction with each other on thesame data, the co-processor alleviates bandwidth limitations of thesystem bus 103 in network device 104. This is because the data does nothave to return from the co-processor 100 to the CPU 101 after eachprotocol operation. This also reduces the number of reads and writesrequired to memory 102. Fewer memory fetches allows network device tooperate at faster data rates.

While the aforementioned examples are provided with respect to twoprocessors 110, 210, the invention contemplates embodiments having morethan two processors within co-processor 100. For example, a co-processoraccording to this invention can have four processors along withassociated memory and interface systems. The principles and concepts ofthe invention are applicable to these embodiments as well.

For details of specific signaling, electrical and operationalcharacteristics of the memory, processing, bus and interface systems ofco-processor 100, the reader is referred to the appropriate respectiveportions of the provisional application formerly incorporated byreference. That provisional patent application describes in detail apreferred embodiment of the co-processor 100 called "Chromite".

As mentioned previously the ARC processor 300 is extended withinstructions according to this invention to provide support for datacommunications programs (i.e., protocols). FIG. 3 illustrates theconfiguration of processors 110, 210 according to this invention. Thearchitecture in FIG. 3 illustrates only one processor (i.e., either 110or 210) since both are generally configured the same according toembodiments of this invention. A standard ARC processor 300 is suppliedby and may be purchased from Argonaut Technologies, Ltd. and contains aload/store unit 310, a PC controller 312, an Arithmetic Login Unit("ALU") 330, an extension Arithmetic Logic Unit ("XALU") 500, aninstruction decoder 314, 3-port core register sets 320 to 322. Auxiliaryregisters 112 are illustrated within ARC processor 300, but are providedas part of this invention.

The standard off-the-shelf ARC processor 300 provides a core set ofinstructions in ALU 330, used for executing programs. The inventionextends this core instruction set with extension instructions in XALU500. These extended instructions assist in execution of datacommunication programs. According to this invention the additionalinstructions provided in XALU 500 include "zero stuffing", "zerounstuffing", "partial subtraction and conditional move", "partialcompare and conditional move", "multiple compare" and "CRC". While FIG.3 illustrates the XALU 500 as a separate circuit for clarity and ease ofdescription of this invention, the invention is not meant to be limitedas such. The XALU 500 in an actual implementation may share certaincircuit elements and components with other parts of ARC processor 300,such as the ALU 330.

The ARC processor 110, 210 operates by loading communications programinstructions and communications data from the instruction space 124, 224and data space 122, 222 in the memory controller 120, 220, respectfully,under control of the load/store unit 310. Each instruction of a programincludes an op-code which identifies the instruction along with one ormore operands which contain communications data to be operated on by theinstruction. For example, an instruction to move data may appear inprogram code as "MOV A,B", where "MOV" is an instruction to move somedata into a memory location, and "A" is a register containing the datato be moved, and "B" is a register containing an address in memory wherethe data is to be stored. Each program instruction is decoded by theinstruction decode unit 314 which determines whether the instruction isa core instruction provided by a standard off-the-shelf ARC processor(to be executed by the ALU 330) or an extended instruction (to beexecuted by the XALU 500) as provided by the invention. The operands(i.e., the data) for both core and extended instructions are placed into"source 1" 326 and "source 2" 324, which represent registers of varioustypes. Execution of certain instructions produces a result. After thesetypes of instructions are decoded and their operation is performed onthe operand data, the resulting data is stored in result 322.

Auxiliary registers 112 are provided by this invention to aid in theexecution of extended instructions in XALU 500. According to thisembodiment, auxiliary registers 112 include a zero stuff overflowaccumulation ZSE register 510 (see FIG. 5), a zero stuff overflow dataZSread register 514 (see FIG. 6) and a zero stuff state ZSS register 512(see FIG. 7). These extra registers 510, 512 and 514 support zerostuffing and zero unstuffing extension instructions, as well as otherinstructions. Other registers are provided as well. A PPP controlcharacter register 516 (see FIG. 8) supports the multiple compareextension instruction and a CRC polynomial register 518 (see FIG. 9)supports the CRC extension instruction. The details of execution of eachextension instruction, including their interaction with the auxiliaryregisters is discussed below. Additional details of each extensioninstruction's operation may be found in respective sections of theprovisional patent application formerly incorporated by reference.

In addition to auxiliary registers 112, ARC processors 110, 210 providecore registers 320, 322 which are used by instructions (both core andextension) during execution of program instructions. FIG. 4 shows arepresentation of the Status Register 508. This register is used tocommunicate processor condition codes and interrupts to a host CPU(i.e., CPU 101 in FIG. 1), and maintains a program counter for anexecuting program.

FIG. 10 shows a representation of the circuitry for the zero stuffinstruction as provided by this invention. Zero stuffing or the zerostuff instruction implements in one single instruction the datacommunications algorithm commonly known as "bit stuffing". The zerostuff extension instruction works in conjunction with extensionregisters ZSE 510, ZSS 514, and ZSread 512. In operation, a detectinglogic device 520 accepts a bit stream of new data 540 along with zerostuffing state information in ZSS 514 and an accumulated overflow in ZSE510 (i.e., overflow may occur from a previously executed zero stuffinstruction). When a first predetermined sequence of bits (i.e.,"11111") is detected in new data 540, the detecting logic device 520communicates with the insertion logic device 522 to insert a secondpredetermined sequence (i.e., insert a "0" bit) into the new data 540bit stream, after the first predetermined sequence of bits. Theresulting bit stream (i.e., "111110") is stuffed data 541. Assuming thefirst predetermined sequence of bits occurs in new data 540, stuffeddata 541 will be longer in length (number of bits) then new data 540,due to the insertion of the second predetermined sequence. This causesoverflow. Any overflow created by the insertion logic device 522 isstored in the accumulated overflow register ZSE.new 510.

Multiple occurrences of the zero stuff operation may occur one afteranother. In this instance, data to be stuffed is "stuffed" in portions,with each stuffing instruction picking up where the previous zerostuffing instruction left off in the new data 540. As such, updated zerostuffing state information indicating where a next bit stuffinginstruction should begin is stored in ZSS.new 514. If the accumulatedoverflow register ZSE.new 510 itself overflows an overflow flag 530 isset and the overflow is stored in ZSread 512. For more details on zerostuffing see Section 4.9.2 in the provisional application formerlyincorporated by reference.

FIG. 11 illustrates a representation of the zero unstuff instructioncircuit as provided by this invention. Zero unstuff is the converseinstruction of zero stuff. That is, at a sending network device, zerostuff looks at a portion of data such as a data stream or a packet andinserts a "0" bit after any sequence of five "1" bits in this data.Then, at the receiving network device, zero unstuff removes the"stuffed" "0" bits that were inserted by the zero stuff instruction.

The zero unstuff extension instruction works in conjunction withextension registers ZSE 510 and ZSS 514. As noted above, operation ofzero unstuff proceeds similarly to the zero stuff instruction, exceptthat bits are removed from new data 542, instead of being added. Inoperation, a detecting logic device 524 accepts a bit stream of new data542. Detecting logic device 524 detects a first predetermined sequenceof bits (i.e. 111110). The predetermined sequence is five one bitsfollowed by a zero bit. If the first predetermined sequence of bits isdetected, the detecting logic device 524 communicates with the removallogic device 526 to remove a second predetermined sequence (i.e., thetrailing "0") thus producing unstuffed data 543 (i.e., 11111). Aftereach execution of the zero stuff instruction, information regardingwhere that instruction left off in the data (i.e., the current zerostuffing state information) is stored in ZSS 514 and ZSE 510. Thisinformation may be used upon execution of the next zero unstuffinstruction. If the zero unstuff instruction is started with anunderflow condition (i.e., too few bits to perform the unstuffingoperation properly) in ZSE 510 then a negative flag is set and theinstruction does not unstuff any new data 542. For more details on thezero unstuff instruction see Section 4.9.3 in the provisionalapplication formerly incorporated by reference.

Various registers are used to support zero stuffing and unstuffinginstruction operations. FIG. 5 shows a representation of the Zero StuffOverflow Accumulation Register (ZSE) 510. ZSE 510 is used to store thenew data 540 bit stream as it expands because of overflow during zerostuffing operations. ZSE 510 also stores bits to be used for "borrowing"in unstuffing operations. FIG. 6 shows a representation of the ZeroStuff Overflow Data Register (ZSread) 512. ZSread 512 is used to storethe data that overflows the ZSE 510 register during zero stuffingoperations. FIG. 7 shows a representation of the Zero Stuff StateRegister (ZSS) 514. ZSS 514 is used to store state and overflow statusinformation. For more details on these registers see Section 4.3.13through 4.3.15 of the provisional application formerly referenced.

Certain data communications protocols for compression and decompression(e.g., V.42bis) store information in trie data structures. These triestructures, which are similar in nature to multi-way search trees suchas binary trees, must be traversed in an efficient fashion to obtain therequested data to provide acceptable data communications performance.The present invention provides two instructions to aid in trietraversal; the "partial subtraction and conditional move" extensioninstruction for speeding up trie-right traversals, and the "partialcompare and conditional move" extension instruction for speeding uptrie-up traversals.

FIG. 12 illustrates a representation of the partial subtraction andconditional move instruction circuit in XALU 500 as provided by thisinvention. This instruction accepts three inputs; (i) a character whichis to be searched for in the trie as Operand A 543, (ii) a pointer tothe next right node in the trie as Operand B1 544, and (iii) thecharacter stored at the next right node in the trie as Operand B2 545.The comparing logic device 523 compares the input character in Operand A543 with the character stored at the next right node in the trie(Operand B2 545). There are three possible results to this comparison.First, if the input character in Operand A 543 is greater than thecharacter stored at the next right node in the trie (Operand B2 545)then a match has not been found. Accordingly, there are more nodes inthe trie to be compared, and so the pointer to next right node in thetrie (Operand B1 544) is copied to Operand C and no flags are set.Second, if the input character in Operand A 543 is equal to thecharacter stored at the next right node in the trie (Operand B2 545)then a match has been found in the trie and the zero flag 534 is set toindicate that the next traversal should be to the next node down in thetrie. And third, if the input character in Operand A 543 is less thanthe character stored at the next right node in the trie (Operand B2 545)then a match has not been found and the character in Operand A 543 isadded as a new node in the trie. In the later case, the overflow flag530 is set indicating the input character in Operand A 543 was insertedin the trie.

By offering a single instruction that implements a "partial subtractionand conditional move" operation, the invention eliminates the need for asoftware protocol developer to develop code for this operation, thussaving time. Also, since the instruction is implemented as circuitry inXALU 500, execution of the operation is very fast, yet at the same time,is only performed when needed. For more details on partial subtractionand conditional move see Section 4.9.4 in the provisional applicationformerly referenced.

FIG. 13 shows a representation of a "partial compare and conditionalmove" instruction 593 as provided by this invention. Compressed stringsuch as words are stored in the aforementioned trie data structure. Thepresent instruction speeds up decompression of character strings thatmust be "unraveled" by traversing backward through the compressed stringtrie structure until the root node (i.e., the root letter of the string)has been found. Partial compare and conditional move circuitry in XALU500 accepts two inputs; (i) a pointer to the next upward node in thetrie (in relation to a node currently being pointed to) at Operand A547, and (ii) a value representing the root node pointer at Operand B548. The comparing logic device 525 for this instruction comparesOperand A 547 and Operand B 548 and produces one of two possibleresults. First, if the two operands 547, 548 are equal the root node ofthe trie data structure has been found and an overflow flag 530 is set.Second, if Operand A 547 is not equal to Operand B 548, the pointer tothe next upward node stored in Operand A 547 is copied to Operand C 549and no flags are set. By providing an instruction 593 for thisoperation, the invention provides a convenient tool for protocol programdevelopment. The partial compare and conditional move instruction 593saves coding time, increases execution speed, and since it is callableonly when needed, processor cycles and power are conserved. For moredetails on partial compare and conditional move see Section 4.9.5 in theprovisional application formerly referenced.

Processing PPP/SLIP data communications protocols involves identifyingand optionally removing special control characters in a data stream. Thepresent invention provides a "multiple compare instruction" whichperforms this operation. FIG. 14 illustrates a representation of themultiple compare instruction circuitry as provided by the presentinvention. The multiple compare instruction is used to speed up PPP/SLIPprocessing by working in conjunction with the PPP Character ControlRegister 516, shown in FIG. 8. The instruction identifies specialcontrol characters which must be detected in data streams whenprocessing PPP/SLIP data communications protocols.

The multiple compare instruction circuitry represented by first andsecond comparing logic devices 527 and 529 in XALU 500 accepts an inputcharacter for comparison at Operand A 550, and accepts a bit maskrepresenting a range of characters to be detected (e.g., 0×00 to 0×1F)at Operand B 551. Initially, the first comparing logic device 527 readsthe PPP Character Control Register 516 shown in FIG. 8. If the firstcomparing logic device 527 detects characters in the PPP CharacterControl Register 516 shown in FIG. 8, the first comparing logic device527 compares each character in the PPP Character Control Register 516 tothe input character in Operand A 550. If a match is found, the firstcomparing logic device 527 indicates to the second comparing logicdevice 529 to set the zero flag 534 to indicate the input character inOperand A 550 matches at least one of the characters in the PPPCharacter Control Register 516 shown in FIG. 8. Next, the secondcomparing logic device 529 determines if the input character in OperandA 550 is a value less than 0×20. If so, the second comparing logicdevice 529 determines if each bit position represented in the inputcharacter in Operand A 550 is turned on (i.e., is a "1") in the maskrepresenting a range of characters to be detected in Operand B 551. Ifthe bit positions match, negative flag 536 is set to indicate a match.This instruction provides a bit comparison algorithm in a singleinstruction which can speed protocol development and execution time. Formore details on the multiple compare instruction and associated registeruse, see Sections 4.9.6 and 4.31.6 in the provisional applicationformerly referenced.

Error detection and correction in data communications is essential inproviding reliable messaging. Cyclic Redundancy Check ("CRC") is acommon method of error detection in data communications. The presentinvention provides an extension instruction in XALU 500 to facilitateCRC calculations for use in error detection.

FIG. 15 shows a representation of the CRC instruction circuitry asprovided by the present invention. This instruction uses a calculatinglogic device circuit 528 which works in conjunction with the CRCRegister 518, shown in FIG. 9. This register is used to specify thepolynomial used in the CRC calculation. For more details on thisregister see Section 4.3.11 in the provisional application formerlyreferenced. The CRC instruction uses calculating logic device 528 toaccept three inputs; (i) a state of a previous CRC calculation asOperand A 552, (ii) the next byte to be shifted into the polynomial atOperand B 553, and (iii) the polynomial used to compute the CRC at CRCpolynomial register 518. The calculating logic unit 528 computes a newCRC based on these inputs and stores the result as Operand A 552. Byoffering an instruction to computer a CRC value, the inventioneliminated the need to write program code to perform this operation.Furthermore, the instruction is called only when needed, and thus CRCcircuitry is not activated at all times, thus conserving processingpower. For more details on the CRC instruction see Section 4.9.1 in theprovisional application formerly referenced.

The previously described embodiments of the invention provide a set ofadditional extension instructions that may be used to writecommunications programs that execute on processors 110 and/or 210 inco-processor 100. The communications programs implement protocols thatoperate on data. The extension instructions in XALU 500 provide featuresthat improve performance of protocol operation. Moreover, since theco-processor can execute multiple protocols concurrently on bothprocessors 110, 210, high data throughput rates are achieved. Thisallows co-processor 100 to operate on many streams or session of data.For example, in one embodiment, a single co-processor 100 can operate onup to 30 different streams or sessions of data. Each of these streamscan have multiple protocols executing on packets for that stream. Thisprocessing is off-loaded form the CPU of the host computer.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A processor comprising:a first input receiving afirst input data, a second input receiving a second input data and athird input receiving a partial compare and conditional moveinstruction; a logic unit coupled to the first input, the second input,and the third input, the logic unit including activatible partialcompare and conditional move circuitry which is activated upon receiptof the partial compare and conditional move instruction and whichperforms a comparison between the first input data and the second inputdata, if the comparison results in the first input data being equal tothe second input data then a terminate traversal state is set, if thecomparison results in the first input data being not equal to the secondinput data then the first input data is copied to a predefined locationand no state is set; an output coupled to the logic unit, the outputoutputting the first input data in a predefined location and maintainingthe terminate traversal state information; and wherein the processor canbe reprogrammed to execute one of many different instructions.
 2. Theprocessor of claim 1 wherein the partial compare and conditional moveinstruction executes on the logic unit as part of a protocol to performcompression on the data.
 3. The processor of claim 1 wherein the partialcompare and conditional move instruction executes on the logic unit aspart of a protocol to perform decompression on the data.
 4. Theprocessor of claim 1 wherein the partial compare and conditional moveinstruction executes on the logic unit as part of a protocol to performencryption on the data.
 5. The processor of claim 1 wherein the partialcompare and conditional move instruction executes on the logic unit aspart of a protocol to perform decryption on the data.
 6. An apparatuscomprising a computer readable medium having a partial compare andconditional move instruction recorded thereon, the partial compare andconditional move instruction comprising:a first input receiving a firstinput data, a second input receiving a second input data and a thirdinput receiving a partial compare and conditional move instruction; alogic unit coupled to the first input, the second input, and the thirdinput, the logic unit including activatible partial compare andconditional move circuitry which is activated upon receipt of thepartial compare and conditional move instruction and which performs acomparison between the first input data and the second input data, ifthe comparison results in the first input data being equal to the secondinput data then a terminate traversal state is set, if the comparisonresults in the first input data being not equal to the second input datathen the first input data is copied to a predefined location and nostate is set; an output coupled to the logic unit, the output outputtingthe first input data in a predefined location and maintaining theterminate traversal state information; and wherein the processor can bereprogrammed to execute one of many different instructions.
 7. A methodof processing data in a processor comprising the steps of:coupling afirst input data, a second input data and a partial compare andconditional move instruction to a logic unit; activating partial compareand conditional move circuitry in the logic unit upon receipt of thepartial compare and conditional move instruction; comparing the firstinput data and the second input data; if the comparison results in thefirst input data being equal to the second input data then setting aterminate traversal state, if the comparison results in the first inputdata being not equal to the second input data then coupling the firstinput data to a predefined location and no state is set; outputting thefirst input data to a predefined location and maintaining the terminatetraversal state information; and reprogramming the processor to executemultiple different instructions.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein thepartial compare and conditional move instruction executes on the logicunit as part of a protocol to perform compression on the data.
 9. Themethod of claim 7 wherein the partial compare and conditional moveinstruction executes on the logic unit as part of a protocol to performdecompression on the data.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the partialcompare and conditional move instruction executes on the logic unit aspart of a protocol to perform encryption on the data.
 11. The method ofclaim 7 wherein the partial compare and conditional move instructionexecutes on the logic unit as part of a protocol to perform decryptionon the data.